The roles of trait perfectionism and perfectionistic self-presentation in personal adjustment, psychosocial functioning, and health problems. The associations among personality, coping, stress, and distress in adolescents, middle-aged individuals, and the elderly.

Social psychology, health-related fields. Work stress, burnout, coping, psychosocial factors and rehabilitation, and psychological effects of SARS in nurses. Coping, social support and health, especially interested in applying a new scale, “The Proactive Coping Inventory” to a variety of different populations.

The automatic activation of associations related to social categories including stereotypes, prejudice, automatic behaviors, approach-avoidance tendencies, and emotions. The implication of these associations for responding to target category members and the self. Strategies to reduce these activations.

Projection of the self into fictional narratives. The ascription of intentionality to abstract social agents. Individual differences in, and the core processes of, empathy and social understanding. Imagination. Stimulation based theories of language comprehension. And the neural underpinnings of these processes.

Research focuses generally on behavioural assumptions in the law, and specifically on the behaviour of various decision makers (e.g., juries, police). Considerable work done on decision-making processes of decision makers in cases involving violence against women (sexual assault, battered women). More recent work examines the impact of racial bias and legal strategies for curbing its influence (e.g., challenge for cause).

Stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination from the target’s perspective. How people combat the effects of negative self-relevant stereotypes in academic settings. How stereotypes are activated and inhibited in impression formation. The development of gender/ racial stereotypes and beliefs in children, examined from a social cognitive perspective.

Social cognition or how people make sense of themselves and other people. Social and organizational psychology, including attributions, social motivation, forgiveness, co-worker interactions, and decision making.

Psychological aspects of driving; human needs and psychological dimensions of housing; scientific racism; violence and explanations of criminality. Ethics and societal values influencing research practice as well as strong interest in applied psychology.